How to Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

How to… Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Goals keep us focused, determined, and with a clear vision of what we want to achieve in our future. There are two main types of goals. Long-term are those that will take longer than one year to achieve, while short-term goals are the individual steps that together can help us attain our final long-term goals.

Each goal must have a reason behind it, something you value enough to work hard for it. One method you should follow when you set your goals is making sure each and every one of them is S.M.A.R.T. “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed”. This will certainly increase the probability of your success.

SPECIFIC:do not set generic goals, make sure you specify them clearly and say why they are important to you. For example, do not say “I plan to improve my GPA”, say “my GPA is 3.0 and I am working hard to achieve 3.3 to gain a scholarship at the end of the year”.

MEASURABLE: goals must be easy to measure; you must be able to forecast the steps that are necessary to achieve the final goal. If the goal is measurable, you will also be able to see how far away you are from its completion.

ACHIEVABLE: Each goal must be challenging enough to stimulate you, but not completely out of your reach. Each goal must be attainable, so that if an obstacle comes in your way, which will definitely happen, you will find other possible paths to achieve it.

REALISTIC:It is ok to dream big, but make sure that you have the necessary resources to attain that dream. Your goal is realistic if, deep down, you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Achieving a realistic goal also helps your self-confidence and avoids your frustration.

TIMED:you should be able to forecast, even approximately, when you will be able to achieve the goal, otherwise it will simply remain a generic goal. Moreover, with no time frame tied to it there is no sense of urgency.

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